Caitlin Morrison wants CCTV installed on every tram after her skull was fractured in a violent attack
A woman brutally beaten in an unprovoked assault on a tram was stunned to discover there was no CCTV footage of the incident. She is now calling for change.
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A Melbourne woman whose skull was fractured in an unprovoked assault on a tram is campaigning for CCTV to be made mandatory across the state’s public transport network.
Caitlin Morrison, 45, was aboard a route 57 tram on April 22 when she was allegedly assaulted by an unknown female in Maribyrnong.
Ms Morrison, a finance worker, said it was “incredibly disappointing” to learn the tram she had been on did not have cameras capturing what happened.
“She grabbed me and started beating the s*** out of me,” Ms Morrison said of the attack.
“I was really taken off guard. Then she started ramming my head into the green vertical pole on the tram. It was so sudden and so fast, it took everyone on the tram off guard.
“Blood was gushing from my face and scalp.”
She was taken to hospital with multiple fractures to her skull and orbital bone, damage to her eye muscles, as well as cuts and bruises.
“I find it appalling, this is going to change how I live my life moving forward,” she said.
“There’s CCTV everywhere in Melbourne except on our trams.
“The assault now comes down to my word versus theirs. There is no evidence of what happened. This gives the perpetrators the ability to change the narrative of what happened.”
Ms Morrison is campaigning the government to install CCTV across Melbourne’s entire tram network.
“This is for the safety and wellbeing of all tram users, as well as the drivers,” she said.
“Why is it a free-for-all on trams, to me it is a failure of duty of care.”
The Herald Sun understands more than 300 of Melbourne’s trams, including A, B, C and Z class, are not equipped with CCTV.
All E, C2 and D-class trams all have cameras installed.
A government spokesman said: “Passengers using the public transport system deserve to feel safe when travelling and the assault of any passenger is completely unacceptable.
“The Department of Transport is working closely with police to assist their investigation into the alleged assault and improve safety across the network.
“We’ve added thousands of new cameras since coming to government and we will continue to invest to improve commuter safety.”
The alleged perpetrator remains on the run close to a fortnight after the late-night incident.
Victoria Police said the assailant ran off the tram at the Flemington Racecourse/Racecourse Road stop in Flemington about 12.30am.
“The investigation is ongoing,” a police spokeswoman said.
The alleged offender is described as caucasian, 155cm tall, aged in her teens with a thin build and dark coloured hair. She was wearing a black hooded top and pants.
Her alleged accomplice, a male perceived to be of European or Middle Eastern appearance, is 178cm tall with dark curly hair, a beard. He was wearing a dark hooded top and black pants.
Ms Morrison said: “CCTV on trams is a matter of urgency. Everyone deserves to feel safe in Melbourne.”
The investigation is ongoing.
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